Reviews
"The Introduction is intelligent and very helpful to an audience who needs to be led into the field, and not too cumbersome to prove heavy..." -- Diana Sorensen, Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures, and of Comparative Literature, Harvard University., "An accurate, fluent translation that preserves the literal meaning and spirit of the original without becoming obscure and tedious requires a fine way with the English language and considerable knowledge of late colonial Mexico and Mexico City. That is a tall order, and I think David Frye has performed a minor miracle in this translation. The voice of the picaresque protagonist, the juicy stories and ironies, the author's moral outrage at personal pretense, arrogance, greed, and social injustice come to life in English in ways that are remarkably faithful to the author's style, pace, and mordant wit. Here in full is Fernández de Lizardi's Mexico City of the last years of Spanish rule, rich in social types, sights, sounds, smells, and feelings. The translator's notes are... numerous and valuable..." -- William Taylor, Professor of History, University of California at Berkeley., Finally, an engaging, full-fledged rendition of the first Latin American novel ever--and still one of the savviest. Jos Joaqun Fernndez de Lizardi invented Mexico . . . and David Frye shows us how.--Ilan Stavans, Finally, an engaging, full-fledged rendition of the first Latin American novel ever--and still one of the savviest. José Joaquín Fernández de Lizardi invented Mexico . . . and David Frye shows us how.--Ilan Stavans, This new rendering into English . . . is the only complete English translation. Frye performs a delicate balancing act by fashioning language that is fresh and engaging while preserving historical flavor. The result is outstanding. Summing up: Highly recommended.--M. S. Arrington, Jr., CHOICE, With David Frye's exquisitely clear and elegant translation, the English-speaking world now can fully enjoy El Periquillo Sarniento, the 19th-century novel that rendered the swirling and messy city of Mexico into a comic work of art.--Richard Rodriguez, author of Brown: The Last Discovery of America (Viking, 2002)
